The Board of Directors of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) today approved a final rule to include Interest on Lawyer Trust Accounts (IOLTAs) in the temporary unlimited deposit coverage for noninterest-bearing transaction accounts.

The Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act provides temporary, unlimited deposit insurance for all noninterest-bearing transaction accounts. The FDIC's final rule implements the December 29, 2010 amendment to that Act by including IOLTAs within the definition of a "noninterest-bearing transaction account."

All funds held in IOLTA accounts, together with all other noninterest-bearing transaction account deposits, are fully insured, without limit, from December 31, 2010, through December 31, 2012. This coverage is separate from, and in addition to, the coverage provided to depositors for other accounts at an insured depository institution.

Congress created the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation in 1933 to restore public confidence in the nation's banking system. The FDIC insures deposits at the nation's 7,830 banks and savings associations and it promotes the safety and soundness of these institutions by identifying, monitoring and addressing risks to which they are exposed. The FDIC receives no tax dollars – insured financial institutions fund its operations.

FDIC press releases and other information are available on the Internet at www.fdic.gov, by subscription electronically (go to www.fdic.gov/about/subscriptions/index.html) and may also be obtained through the FDIC's Public Information Center (877-275-3342 or 703-562-2200). PR-8-2011